by Angel and Rina
"He washes out he stays with me, Dobie, " Vic replied ominously. "You or the
Director come near him and it won't be pretty. But he won't wash out. I'll
make damn sure of it!" Slamming out of Dobrinsky's office, Vic stalked
towards the training salle where Mac was practicing some of the more advanced
forms of Wing Chun, a style of Kung Fu he was especially adept in. Mac was
going to learn how to fire a weapon without pulling, and Victor Mansfield was
just the man to teach him.
Dobrinsky smiled and picked up the phone. "Yeah, the threat worked
beautifully... Yeah I know—they are so obvious to everyone but
themselves. The trainers have a bet going on about who's gonna jump who
first, and how long the just holding each other rule is gonna last. What?
Okay you're on—for how much—$500—damn, you're sure of yourself. Yes
ma'am will put it down on the bet sheet."
Vic stormed into the gym just as Mac was stepping out of the change rooms,
freshly showered and looking—god, looking so fucking good it made the older
man's mouth water. It was getting harder and harder to resist Mac's sleepy
wake-ups. His mouth was kitten-soft against Victor's skin, and his morning
shadow an arousing abrasion. Vic and cold showers had become good friends
over the last week and he was despising it. But it was a small price to pay
for having Mac back with him, in their bed, being able to hold the young man,
cuddling and kissing him. Oh god, the feel of that piercing caressing the
roof of his mouth was nearly enough to make him come by that alone. What
would it feel like on the rest of his body, on his cock?
Biting back a pained moan, Vic grabbed the younger man by the hand and began
dragging him down to one of the shooting gallery's. "C'mon baby, it's time
for a private lesson."
Even a week ago, the appearance of his partner in the gym would have
surprised Mac, but now he greeted Victor with an easy grin—one that turned
smoldering as he noted the way Vic's eyes lingered on his lips. Thank god for
these signs that the older man was as on edge as he was, otherwise Mac
thought he might go insane because of this damn rule. Okay, he could
understand it, with all the mess they'd been through, jumping each other
because they felt like it might not be the best move. But that didn't help
when he woke up each morning and all he could see, feel, hear and smell was
Victor.
Laughing quietly when Vic grabbed his hand and practically dragged him out of
the building, Mac lengthened his stride so that he was walking alongside the
older man and not tagging along behind. "Private lesson? That sounds
promising, but aren't we going the wrong way? The cottage is back that way."
As he spoke, Mac pointed in the opposite direction, hoping against hope that
Vic would suddenly change directions. When he didn't, the thief let out a
near silent groan, knowing where they were headed.
"It's no good, Victor. Give me a plain target I'm ten for ten, but put
something human shaped up and I can't do it. Not quite what you want from
someone who is supposed to be watching your back, I know, and I am trying to
get over it, it's just..." Mac sighed, thinking back to the report he had
read during one of his extra-curricular web runs. "This their way of telling
me fix it or I'm out?"
Vic debated about lying to the younger man—for about two seconds. Mac had
been lied to enough in his short life and he wasn't about to add to it. Mac
was his partner, and partners trusted each other. Sighing heavily, he
stopped, and without thinking about it, caressed Mac's cheek, not realizing
just how much, or how often he touched the younger man.
"Dobie had a little talk with me. There's—concern, Mac. I got told I broke
you, so I had to fix you and there was mention of Hong Kong again. Not," he
spoke quickly, forestalling the younger man from interrupting, "not that I'm
going to let that happen. No matter what, your home is with me—if you want
it that way, I mean," Vic continued hesitantly, still not willing to push the
younger man too far too fast.
"But it was a warning, an indirect one because I get the feeling both Dobie
and the Director like you. So as Mt. Baldy suggested, I broke you so now I'm
going to help you fix yourself. Trust me?" At his partner's hesitant nod,
Victor continued on to the shooting gallery, Mac walking not so calmly beside
him. He would get the younger man to shoot. Even if it meant using dirty
tricks and persuasion to do so. He wasn't about to lose Mac, as a partner or
as a potential lover. Mac was his now, end of story, and Victor Mansfield
always took care of and protected what was his.
Emotions spiked within the younger man although he tried to present a calm
face to the world as they walked along. The threat of being sent to Hong Kong
no longer carried the weight that it did before, it was the idea of being
sent away from Victor that had Mac in a panicky sweat. Part of him worried
that he was getting too dependent on the older man, while the rest of him
simply acknowledged that beside Victor was where Mac belonged, and where he
would stay. Partners, back up, support, in all areas of their lives.
"So, where do we start?" Mac asked quietly when they stopped at the gun
locker and he had extracted his weapon, inspected it, and slid a full clip
into place, all with the ease of long practice, but an air of resignation as
well. "Want to see the infamous Ramsey dust mote targeting so you know what
you have to deal with?"
Vic suddenly came to a decision. "What we don't start with is this," Vic
replied gently, taking the weapon out of the other man's hands. "This isn't
where we need to be right now. C'mon." With that, Vic was leading Mac out of
the shooting range again, much to the surprise of the people watching in
Dobrinsky's office.
"What the hell's he doing? The kid's problem is shooting and he's taking him
out of there?" Dobie was incredulous.
"Like, you know Vic, always doin' things like his own way and stuff?" Jackie
Janzyck chirped up, snapping her gum loudly.
"Yeah but..."
"Watch my angels, watch and learn..." came the smoky purr from the back of
the room.
Vic took Mac's hand and headed outside. He bypassed the walk through and the
shooting range, continued on past the training buildings and the cottages,
until the two of them were walking hand in hand through the thick stand of
trees that was used as the paintball range—an area Mac had yet to be
introduced to. A place where they gave you moving, live, targets and you had
to take them down. But for now it was quiet, as Vic knew it would be.
Ambling along, ignoring the curious looks that his partner was giving him,
Vic kept moving until he found what he was looking for. A secluded area
bracketed off by trees, with a fallen log to sit on. Sitting, he pulled the
other man down next to him, then straddled the log so Mac could have a good
look at what he was going to do.
Mac opened his mouth to say something, but Vic pressed a finger against those
soft lips and shook his head. He then shrugged out of his jacket and, despite
the cold, stripped out of his denim shirt and the gray tee-shirt underneath.
Vic just sat there, in the cool spring air, his chest bare, his nipple ring
glinting in the dappled sunlight, letting Mac look his fill.
"See, no bullet holes."
"Yeah..." Mac answered slowly, his forehead wrinkled with his perplexed
frown. Not that he minded the chance to stare at Vic's half-bare bod, he just
wasn't sure why they had to come out here to do it and what it had to do with
his targeting problem.
A stray sunbeam glinted off the bright silver ring dangling against Vic's
chest, and the cool breeze drew his nipples up into tight nubs, ones that
seemed to be urging Mac to lean in and taste them.
Giving a soft groan, Mac dragged his gaze upward, his dark chocolate eyes now
holding a mixture of confusion and barely repressed desire. "I'd rather keep
it that way too." Just the thought of Vic being injured, especially because
of some lapse in his skills, was enough to squelch the flickering of need
that had sprang up again. Mac looked away then, shifting his gaze to the
shadowed anonymity of the woods around them, seeking a safe haven. "What is
this place?" he asked after a moment, knowing it was part of the facility,
but not the purpose it served.
"Thank you for saying that, baby," Vic reached out and caressed his partner's
face, ignoring the last question for now. "But if you don't want that to
happen, you know what you gotta do. I trust you Mac—with my life and... more," he managed to get out, taking the younger man's hand and placing it
over his heart, and conversely the nipple ring as well. "I trust you to keep
this safe—both physically and otherwise. No one else I'd trust to watch my
back, just like I wouldn't trust anyone else to watch yours. We're a team,
you and I. And whatever it takes to get you past whatever's stopping you from
hitting a target, I'll do. Together Mac—I mean that."
Vic pulled the younger man into his arms for a brief, breathless kiss, then
let him go to shrug back into his tee shirt and denim shirt. "Okay, so... no agency shrinks, no Dobie, nothing but you and me. Let's try this again
shall we?" Vic smiled a cocky half smile. "Wanna try the walk through
without anyone watching? We can do it together. Or we can just talk for a
while—screw the Agency and take the rest of the day for ourselves," Vic
offered. Truth was, there was an ulterior motive. He wanted to distract and
relax Mac. It wasn't quite the way he wanted to relax the younger man, but
it would have to do.
If the Agency trainers couldn't get Mac to hit human targets with all their
know-how and badgering and bullying, Victor wasn't about to go the same
route. Maybe a little relaxation, a little distraction, a lot of snuggling -
and then they'd try... preferably with Vic standing right behind the
younger man to continue to distract him.
A smile that didn't quite reach Mac's eyes curved his lips upward, and he
arched an eyebrow at the older man. "You really think they're gonna let us
slack off for a whole afternoon? I just can't picture that happening. Might
as well try the walk through, you won't know how badly I'm broken until you
see for yourself." With a sigh of resignation that was a trifle self-pitying,
Mac started to stand, preparing himself for his upcoming failure.
"Mackenzie Ramsey, you ever say that about yourself again, and I will put
you over my knee. Got it?" Vic nearly yelled, the muscles in his neck
standing out in stark relief. "You are not, I repeat not broken, dammit!
You had one hell of a scare—and I'm betting that that night was the first
time you ever fired a gun at a living target, if at all, am I right?"
"Well guess what kiddo," Vic continued without waiting for an answer, "what
you're going through is natural and normal—the fact that you can still even
hold the damn weapon, let alone go ten for ten on targets is more than
impressive. I probably couldn't have done it had been me, babe. Hell—I
had nightmares for months the first time I had to shoot someone. And the
first time I killed someone—the guy's face still haunts me. It's when it
doesn't affect you—when you don't get the shakes after it's over or you
don't feel remorse—that's when you gotta worry. What you're going through
- it's human nature Mac."
Victor pulled the younger man fully upright and wrapped him in a firm
embrace. "I know you'll have my back when the time comes, baby. I have
absolutely no doubt in my mind. Until then, we'll get through this together,
okay? 'Sides, I figure sooner or later it'll be my turn to fall apart—so
next time you get to pick up the pieces. Deal?"
"You try to put me over your damn knee and you'll be minus it as well as your
balls," Mac spat, indignant at even the thought of that happening. He had
enough fucking reminders of his age around here. He sure as shit didn't even
need Victor or anyone even thinking of pulling that crap!
It took a moment for Vic's next words to register, but once they did, Mac
backed down a little, relaxing in the circle of Victor's arms. "I had to
learn to shoot before I was allowed to go out on any jobs for the Tangs," he
said quietly. "But no, I'd never had to point a gun at anyone before, let
alone someone I... knew." Memories of that night chased themselves across
Mac's mind, bringing shadows to his gaze at the thought of what might have
happened.
"I never meant to pull the trigger." His words were a husky whisper that
carried with them a world of regret. "And I will get over it, not going to
have anything else happen to you because of me." There was a new-found
conviction in the young man's voice and he lifted his head to look Victor in
the eyes. "I'm gonna be there for you, Vic, whenever and wherever you need
me."
Snaking a hand between their chests, Mac placed his palm on Vic's chest
again, feeling the steady heartbeat the filled his ears each night vibrate
against his skin. "So," he asked, taking a deep breath and trying to let the
tension drain from his body, "how about we give this a try?"
Vic smiled and covered his partner's hand with his own, ignoring the earlier
diatribe for the moment. "I think I'm gonna need you forever partner, if
you're up to it," the older man husked. Fighting back a lump in his throat,
Vic blinked to clear suddenly misty eyes.
"I'd say giving it another try is a good thing," he continued gruffly,
bringing the younger man's hand away from his heart and up to his mouth so he
could kiss Mac's palm. "And I know you didn't mean to pull the trigger,
baby. I drove you to that and I don't think I'll ever forgive myself for it.
I wouldn't hurt you for the world Mac, believe me. Your happiness and well
being—they mean everything to me. Now more than ever."
"I promise I'm not going anywhere ever again babe—partners from now on."
Mac nodded shallowly, afraid to speak because of the lump in his throat.
Instead, he contented himself with running a fingertip over Vic's lips until
he was sure his voice wouldn't crack.
"Only one I want to be partners with. Only one I..." trust he finished
silently. "Need to forgive yourself, otherwise I won't be able to do it
either—with myself I mean, not you. Don't blame you for any of it." The
disjointed ramblings died off and Mac ducked his head, trying to smile. "I'm
done babbling now, I hope anyway. Better get back to work or I'm gonna try to
distract you and we know where that leads." Right into the cold shower for
both of us!
Vic smiled, and squeezed the younger man's hand. "You distract me just by
being here Mac, so it would be nothing new, baby," Vic admitted ruefully even
as he pulled the younger man forward. "Not that I'm complaining—I like your
kind of distraction. A lot!"
Walking back to the street walk through, Vic ignored the quirked eyebrows
from the trainers and other inmates of the Agency facility at the sight of
the two of them casually strolling along, holding hands. Get used to it
guys, he thought with a grin, 'Cause I ain't letting this one go.
Once they got to the walk through, Vic booted up the program and watched Mac
run through it once. Fuck, Dobie was right, he pulled his shots last second.
But how to get him to get around the mental block he obviously had. There had
to be some way... the dejected slump of Mac's shoulders broke his heart.
He would get his partner over this come hell or... the Director.
Having Mac circumvent the facility alarms was easy—he was definitely
talented, Vic thought with a smug grin. Of course, the young man had been
less than pleased with Vic waking him up at three in the morning to come to
the shooting range for a little 'private' instruction. If the blue tinge to
the air as Mac jibbered in Cantonese was any indication, less than pleased
didn't even come close.
But there was method to Vic's madness—which started with him keeping only
the spotlights on and disabling the security cameras in the gallery. No
prying eyes were allowed tonight. To that end, both the outer and inner doors
were re-locked. So too was there a reason to his insistence on their apparel.
Vic had only let Mac slip on a pair of track pants, sans boxers, and one of
Vic's loose button down shirts. He wanted easy access for what he had in
mind.
Taking a fully loaded clip, he snapped it in place and pumped the load
mechanism so that there was a bullet in the chamber. Unlatching the safety,
he handed it to the younger man, and came to stand directly behind Mac,
resting his head on the ex-thief's shoulder. "Let's try this again, shall
we?" he purred, wrapping his arms around Mac's slender waist.
Plainly not ready to be jollied out of his grump that easily, Mac grumbled a
reply as he checked the gun over. One minute he'd been sound asleep, warm and
comfortable wrapped around Victor, the next he was freezing his ass off,
trying to wake up enough to circumvent the electronics on the door to the
range when all he really wanted to do was rewind the night a half an hour and
freeze it there.
"Sure, why not. Maybe shooting when I'm zoned and frozen stiff might help my
aim." Mac felt the slight shaking of Vic's body as the older man chuckled at
that and reconsidered what he had said. Parts of him may have been tired and
cold, but the side that was pressed against Vic was becoming more alert by
the second and quite warm as well. "Or are you planning to do that from back
there?" Mac asked, turning his head just enough to look at Vic's profile,
groaning slightly when the proximity of the ex-cop's face gave him an
excellent view of one verdant eye and the sultry lashes that framed it.
With another, barely audible groan, Mac looked away, concentrating on the
human shaped target in front of him. As he did so, his whole body stiffened,
growing even more tense as the former thief raised his right hand and sighted
down the pistol.
Vic's hand slipped downward, to rest on the younger man's hip, well actually
it was more like on his pelvic bone. He began to nibble on the younger man's
ear lobe. "The whole point is not to be tense, baby. How can I relax you
enough to make this work?" Vic husked, rasping his be-stubbled chin across
the exposed flesh of Mac's neck.
His hand began to stroke circular patterns on the younger man's flesh, as his
other came up to steady the gun. "The whole idea of tonight is for you to
point at the target and shoot. C'mon baby. Lemme see that big weapon of
yours!" he teased gently.
Mac squirmed a bit, not sure if he was trying to evade that slowly circling
hand or get it closer to his now very awake and aware cock. "Keep that up
and you're going to be seeing more of it then you bargained for," he joked
back, though the words were tinged with a moan as Vic nipped harder at his
ear.
"Fine, fine we'll do it your way, just don't—god don't stop," Mac moaned,
his head lolling back against Vic's shoulder, then coming upright once again
when the older man growled out an answer. "Don't know why I'm going to hit
the damn thing now when I couldn't when I was thinking straight..." Hardly
aware of what he was doing, Mac aimed and squeezed the trigger, not even
caring where the bullet went.
"Not bad, babe, just a little off center. But next time keep your eyes
focused, Mac. You don't focus and I stop," Victor cajoled. "Now you know you
don't want me to stop," he continued, his other hand wrapping around Mac's
hips to tease the other side of the younger man's body.
Watching the younger man draw in a shaky breath and follow his instructions,
he smiled. "Put the gun down Mac and look. You did it babe, a clean shot. Now
that wasn't so hard," he snickered, "was it?"
"I did it?" Mac blinked and stared at the target, for the moment forgetting
the delicious way Vic's hands were roaming over his abdomen. "I did it." His
voice was soft with wonder and the young man stared down at the gun in his
hand before switching the safety on and setting it on the shelf next to them.
"We did it."
Turning his head, Mac looked at Victor, his eyes darkening as he registered
the fact that the other man's hands were continuing their circular sweeps
over the juncture of his hips and thighs. "Won't call it hard but if you're
gonna have to distract me like this every time I have to fire a gun, I'm
gonna be that way for the rest of my life!" With no respite in sight either,
he groaned to himself, knowing that he'd never get back to sleep tonight, not
with the wood that he was sporting now!
"You did it Mac," Vic replied, quiet pride glowing. "All by yourself. All
you needed was a little distraction, a little relaxation, I'm just glad I
could provide it," the older man chuckled.
"Now I want you to do me a favor. I want you to do it again for me. This
time with no distractions. However, as an added incentive, if you can do it
without my distracting you, I promise to give you one hell of a distraction
when we get home" Vic bribed softly, handing the gun back to Mac and drawing
back a pace or two.
"I promise to get you real relaxed back at the cottage—if you—make all
your shots, then do it again on the next target. Think you're up to that
kind of a challenge?"
Mac's good cheer vanished at that and his eyes were troubled as he looked
from the gun in his hands, to the target in front of him, and then at his
partner behind him. Honestly, he wasn't sure at all if he could do this, not
without ending up right back where he had been before, but he'd try. Ejecting
the spent clip, Mac replaced it with a full one. "Will give it my best
shot," he offered, turning enough to give Vic a half-smile, then facing the
front once again.
Vic's quiet 'you can do it' released some of the tension that had built up in
the younger man's shoulders. As he raised the gun, Mac pushed aside the image
of the other man from that hellish night, replacing it with the way Vic
looked in the morning when he was half-asleep and aroused, but trying to be
noble.
It didn't happen at once, but by the end of the first clip, Mac's shots were
hitting the target. Without saying a word, he reloaded and tried again, and
again, and again until each shot hit somewhere on the silhouette at the far
end of the range.
Breathing heavily, soaked in sweat, and feeling as if his knees were going to
give out at any instant, Mac pulled the last clip from the handgrip, then
turned to look at Vic. "I don't know about relaxing," he muttered, swiping
at his brow with his arm, "right now all I want is a shower."
"I'm lucky to have you as a partner," Vic whispered quietly, the soft tone
not diminishing the force of his convictions. "You did good, baby. Real
good. C'mon, let's go home." Placing an arm around the younger man's waist
to add his support, Victor took the gun and returned it to the weapons rack.
He figured that security would have the cameras up by now or at least within
the next half-hour, so he didn't even bother with them. Besides his first
priority was his partner.
The walk back to their temporary home took longer than it had to get to the
shooting range, but Vic didn't mind at the least. He enjoyed having Mac lean
on him for help. He'd missed this—the ability to help someone—especially
someone who meant everything. And Mac did. Vic wasn't sure when or how but
the pain-in-the-ass ex-thief with an attitude had become everything. But it
was too soon to let Mac in on the secret, so for now Victor held it close to
his heart.
Leading the younger man inside, Vic shut the door and headed straight for the
bathroom, ignoring Mac's protests that he didn't need any help and informing
the ex-thief that he wanted to do this. Stripping Mac quickly and as
clinically as he could, which, considering how desperate Vic was for his
handsome lover, wasn't easy, Vic pushed him under the warm spray of the
shower while he stripped too.
Climbing in behind Mac, Vic took his time lathering and rinsing every
millimeter of Mac's body with loving strokes, chuckling at the soft groans
and muttered curses, some of which he understood, though most he didn't.
Although the younger man had been through both a physical and emotional
wringer tonight, some parts of him were still ready for action, and Vic had
to grin and make a soft crack about what 'walking hormones' teenagers were,
resulting in a sponge being tossed at him.
Once Mac was squeaky clean, Vic used the hot water to knead at and loosen
tight muscles before leading the younger man out and drying him gently in a
big fluffy towel. Not saying a word, he led Mac to bed and pushed him down
playfully. "I believe I promised to take care of you earlier, didn't I?" he
husked before kissing Mac tenderly then sliding down the younger man's rangy
body until he was directly over Mac's erection. Looking up, he smiled at the
ex-thief then gently placed a kiss on the tip of Mac's cock.
"Good thing for you I always keep my promises," he husked before going down
on the younger man.
"Jesus fucking..." As that hot, wet mouth descended down over his
erection, Mac forgot to think, forgot to breathe, forgot everything except
that perfect haven that was taking him in, showing him glimmers of
half-remembered ecstasy and tempting him with even more. "God, oh god Vic,
you... that..." If he hadn't been so goddamned worn out, Mac thought
he might jump right out of his skin in an attempt to get deeper into Vic's
mouth, but as it was he could only lay there, clawing at the sheets,
half-formed whimpers crawling up from his throat and desperate tremors
wracking his body.
"That's it baby," Vic growled softly as he came up for air. "God, you look
so hot, love you like this, all aroused and helpless, needing me." Plunging
back down to his task, Vic's hands began to roam over Mac's body, teasing his
nipples, combing through chest hair, tracing abdominal muscles and tickling
his navel. Vic sucked and lapped and swallowed and mouthed, making sure
every inch of his lover's cock and balls was glistening and wet.
"Come for me, Mac," Vic purred. "I wanna taste you, baby. Feel you fill my
mouth and swallow you down. Come for me, lover," he begged softly, a finger
slipping down between Mac's legs to brush against and tease his partner's
anus, hoping the extra stimulation would drive him over the edge.
Random words skated across Mac's mind, most providing meaningless background
for the erotic attack his body was under though a few did manage to sink into
his brain and cut through the haze of lust with crystal clarity. Helpless,
needy... No!
"No." The former thief rasped out the single word while trying to squirm
back and away from Victor's all too knowledgeable mouth and roaming hands.
"Not helpless, not pathetic, damnit," Mac gasped, scooting back to the head
of the bed and plastering his back against the wall, his panting breaths
causing his chest to heave painfully. "Not gonna be the weak link, or a
goddamn charity case."
The mixture of arousal and confusion was plain in Victor's verdant gaze and
Mac swallowed hard before continuing, trying to find a way to say what he
meant. "If we're gonna be partners, it's everywhere, Vic," the younger man
sighed. "Out there and in here. I just—" Closing his eyes, Mac drew his
knees up toward his chest and rested his chin on them. "I don't want sex to
be a reward and I want to be able to touch you, okay? This way it's—it's
like a freaking conditioned response or something. See Mac hit a target, see
Mac get a blowjob. I feel like one of Pavlov's fucking dogs or something."
"I know," the teen continued quickly, opening his eyes again to look at his
partner, "that wasn't what you meant by it but I just—I just want to feel
like I'm doing something for you instead of taking from you."
Vic ran a hand through his short hair, cursing his own ineptitude. He should
have known that this wasn't a good idea, Dobie had shown him Mac's psych
profile, not that Mac was ever gonna find out, as well as the Director's
report on the young man's past. And it had been a little too thorough for
Vic's liking. What Mac had gone through... but no. That wasn't what this
was about. This was about him treating Mac like... a baby.
"Okay, I'm gonna say this once, and I want you to really listen to me okay?"
he requested quietly, and was relieved by his lover's hesitant nod. "You are
not a weak link or a charity case. You're a stronger man than me, Mac
Ramsey. No," he said vehemently at the younger man's shaking head. "You are
stronger than me. Stronger in your beliefs and your convictions. I'm the
one who sold out, remember. It's what got us both in this mess, not that I'm
complaining because it means that I've got you. You are my strength. You
are my inspiration."
"I was wrong to do what I did, even if it got you to fire that damned gun
right. I never... baby, I never meant to treat sex like a reward. It was
an excuse Mac, and excuse for me to forget that stupid ass promise I made
earlier and let myself touch you, really touch you. I miss you Mac, so
much it hurts. So from now on—equal partners, no games, no mind fucks,
nothing. You want me babe, I'm yours. Have been from the moment we met. You
call the shots on this Mac—it's all up to you," Vic finished softly,
watching his lover process what he'd just said, waiting for what Mac would do
next.
The younger man remained where he was, frozen in his curled up position, on
the verge of bolting once again. But if he did that, Mac wasn't sure if he'd
ever be able to stop running and... And Vic was trying to fix things,
admitting that he had been wrong no matter how good his intentions had been.
With a disconsolate sigh, Mac dropped his defensive posture, rearranging his
lanky body to sit cross-legged on the bed, looking seriously at his partner,
ignoring the fact that they were both still nude. "I want you," he
whispered, not wanting to argue about which of them was stronger in their
beliefs tonight. Mac knew the answer. He had no beliefs so it was very
obvious which of them was. "I want to touch you, be touched by you, to
remember... remember what it was like that night before it all went to
hell."
"But..." Mac couldn't believe that he was saying this, "but maybe we
should wait until we're out of here. I don't mean wait to touch each other
but for... more." The younger man ducked his head, suddenly looking every
bit his age, then looked at Victor again. "Can I just touch you?" he asked,
his tone a near agonized plea reflecting the depth of the wound and the
all-encompassing need to be healed that Mac felt.
Victor held out his arms, ignoring the dampness gathering in the corners of
his eyes, though his voice betrayed his emotions with a deepened husk.
"C'mere Mac," he whispered, inviting the younger man to snuggle into his
embrace, and breathing a sigh of relief when he did so.
"You can touch me Mac, as often as you like, in any way you like. We belong
to each other, baby, that means I'm all yours—body, soul... and heart,"
Vic whispered softly. "We take this as fast or as slow as you want. You're
in the driver's seat now—I'll play by the rules you set, okay?" he asked,
lifting Mac's chin to look into his partner and lover's eyes.
The younger man gazed back solemnly, his eyes ringed with dark circles
brought on by exhaustion and stress. "How about we make the rules together?
No one leading, no one following, just... together." His fingers moved
restlessly against Victor's chest, resisting the urge to explore until they
had this settled. Though the past few minutes had effectively banked the
desire that had been racing through him, Mac still wanted—needed—to feel
the other man against him, to stroke and explore Vic's body as he had wanted
to so many times. Right now it wasn't sexual, it was simply out of a need
for connection between them.
"Together sounds perfect," Vic sighed as he wagged an internal war to get his
libido under control. He would have laughed at the situation if he wasn't
sure it would be taken the wrong way. Who'd have thought an 18 year old male
would be preaching abstinence?
"I... it's more than lust and sex, Mac, you know that right? You're the
first person who's ever been able to twist my stomach into knots the way you
do. And—what I was like when you came back... that's never happened
before either. It'll never happen again. There's so much I want to say to
you, need to say to you—I just need a bit of time to get it straightened
out in my own head and heart before I can say the words. But the words,
they're there, ya know?" Vic managed to get out, hoping he didn't sound like
too much of a dweeb.
"You're the most important person in my life, baby. And the most powerful.
Not even the dragon lady can do the things to me that you can," the older man
finished, placing a soft kiss on Mac's forehead and finally relaxing back
into the bed. "Nothing has ever felt this right in my entire life."
Mac let out the breath he hadn't known he had been holding and curled around
Vic's side, one leg thrown over the ex-cop's, his hand still tracing light
circles on the other man's chest and stomach. "Sure hope the dragon lady
isn't able to do this to you," he offered, smiling a bit at the soft laugh
that produced. "Don't like that thought at all."
The younger man was fading fast now, emotional and physical exhaustion
leading him toward sleep with little reticence. "Makes me wish..." Mac
yawned at that and burrowed his face into Vic's neck, breathing deeply,
lulled by the certainty of the other man's words and the warm surety of his
presence. "Wish I wasn't so tired too. Or that—" He stopped for another
jaw cracking yawn. "We were done with this place."
At Victor's quiet 'me too', Mac smiled, though the expression had a dopey,
glazed look to it. There was so much more he wanted to say to his partner,
so much more he wanted to do, but he had time for that, they both had time.
The Honey Trap
ook Ace, the kid can't do it. He pulls his shots the last second. It's
not like he doesn't have good hand-eye or can't make the targets. If he
didn't damn well pull back he'd nail those targets dead on. Shit, the kid
would probably be as good as you if he'd stop fucking up. Psych says it's
trauma making him do it. And we both know what trauma. You broke him, you
fix him, otherwise he's gonna get washed out and that means Hong Kong,"
Dobrinsky told the younger man seriously.
